New Year’s visit at Nantou Chushan Zi Nan Temple

During the Chinese New Year last year, I went to Nantou Chushan Zi Nan Temple with my family. In Taiwan, everyone usually goes to the temple to pray for peace and success in the new year.

Zi Nan Temple has a history of more than 200 years. It is well-known because the Tudigong lends Fortune Money to believers. It is always crowded during the Chinese New Year. In addition to Fortune Money, you can also pray to the Tudigong for Gold Chicken, which can be placed in your home to attract wealth. This concept is like the Lucky Cat in Japan!!

Steve Chang
PTW
SCM

Bangkok in festive season

Bangkok is decorated with many colorful lights, glitter balls and Christmas tree during festive season. Our GA&HR team has been spending time together before the long holiday. Eating good food, taking photos and walking around together to impress the festival night!

Siriporn (Bie)
PMT
GA&HR

Happy cookies

I spent time with my family all day. We love to bake a NY cookie to give to our relatives and friends as a New Year gift.
It was good that we could share our handmade cookie to our loved ones!

Benjaporn (Jay)
PMT
GA&HR　

First Day of The Year

My parents always worked during New Year’s Eve at their productive age. As far as I remember, I didn’t have a specific agenda during New Year. Younger me always used the New Year holiday to wake up as late as possible and just have quality time with friends by sleeping over or just cooking something and chit-chatting until the countdown.

During the pandemic, I no longer could do that, so I just slept and woke up early then took a walk while enjoying the serene morning of the new year, just like the picture. It’s from early morning of 1st January 2022 at Senayan area which is usually crowded by people who run or do other exercise. I think I’ll do it again, take a walk in the serene morning on the first day of 2024.

Iga Permatasari
PJO
Sales and Marketing

New Year’s is fun

New Year’s Celebrations in Mexico are as varied as the millions of Mexicans in our Country. New Year’s Eve celebrations can range from a traditional family dinner with turkey and wine to celebrate with friends at a fine restaurant or club, many people prefer to travel to one of the country’s wonderful beaches or go abroad, it can also be time for a romantic dinner, what you can’t miss are the toast and the music because Mexicans love parties.

A unique and delicious tradition that marks the New Year’s celebration in Mexico is the custom of eating twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight. Each grape is meant to represent good luck for each month of the coming year, and guests eagerly consume them, making a wish with each sweet fruit. There are also many rituals to attract good luck, money, health and abundance, among some of these: going out with suitcases, for traveling, wear color underwear (red – to attract love, yellow – to attract money and even green – to attract health), sweep out the entrance of the house so that bad vibes go away, eat lentils for abundance,
put an ornamental sheep on the door for abundance, etc.

Sandra Rivera
PolyMX
Corporate Support

Last, and first sunset

I have a fondness for sunrises and sunsets, so on the last or first day of each year, I always visit famous spots in Korea to witness the last sunset of the year and the first sunrise of the new year. Accompanied by the sunset, I reflect on the events of the past year, putting behind any regrets about things I missed and forging new resolutions. The photo is of a well-known wetland in Korea, a popular destination for many to enjoy the sunset each year. With its vast wetlands and natural scenery, any spot you choose as a backdrop for a photo can turn into the best shot.

Although that day was cold, the orange hue of the sunset enveloping the sky was more spectacular than ever. There, every scene captured by my camera was a breathtaking view. Amidst the changing hues of the sky as it darkened and then faded, I felt a sense of peace, as if the world around me had quieted down.

Taewoo Kim
PKL
Sales & Marketing

This is my ANOTHER SKY

This is a photo when I spent the Year-end and New Year’s holidays in Venice, Italy, before COVID pandemic.
New Year’s culture in Italy is quite different from that of Japan. The New Year’s events were like festivals! There were fireworks shows synchronized with countdowns and carnivals.

The lively atmosphere during daytime is nice, but the fantastical atmosphere at night is also recommendable.
If you have a chance, please consider visiting. This is my Another Sky, Venice!

Yasutaka・A・Kajiwara
PPC
ICT Management Department

The day of New Year’s Day

This is a photo taken on New Year’s Day in 2023. Every year, all my relatives go to my grandparents’ house and enjoy osechi (traditional Japanese New Year’s dishes) and hot pot. Since my father’s birthday is also on the day, we celebrated with a cake that we had decorated by ourselves. We shared the cake with all 18 family members!

The preparations, including cooking, take half a day but it’s a special day for me. Since all 10 cousins became adults, I enjoy conversation about work and life which is different from childhood and about alcohol. (The osechi in the photo is handmade by my sister.)

PPC
Mayuka KANDA
Secretary Office, General Administration Department

Snow&dog

This is a photo taken when it snowed on New Year’s Day. I live in Tokyo, where it doesn’t snow so much in winter, but this time it snowed on New Year’s Day, so I took a walk with my dog.

I remember that my dog was carefully walking on the snow because it was the first time to see snow. I had the image that dogs would be excited and playful in the snow, but I realized that not all dogs are excited about it.

My New Year’s Day Scene

There are different ways to end the old year and start the new year.

Depending on their age, children and teenagers usually spend the day with their parents/family, while young people have already discovered party for themselves.

I now prefer to spend the evening at home with friends and family instead of spending a lot of money on a gala dinner /New Year’s Eve.

Traditionally, as in many other houses, we have raclette in the evening followed by some funny games and shortly before midnight we all go together on the street and toast the New Year with the neighborhood.

Some of us watch the fireworks while others happily light them.
All in all, comfortable, fun and yet not boring.

Sandra Azevedo
PolyEU
Administration

Enjoying the vocation

The New Year is a happy time for family reunions and enjoying delicious food. At this time, the whole family can sit together to talk about the gains and losses of the past year and look forward to the vision prospect for the next year. We can also travel with parents and children to broaden their horizons, increase knowledge, relieve the pressure, and relax the mood.

This photo was taken when my family traveled to the Langshan Mountain which was the representative scenic spot of Nantong city. My kid was playing with the remote-control speedboat intently beside the river. A small speedboat was flying in the water, sometimes forward, sometimes backward, drawing a cool and beautiful water mark. The Langshan Mountain was in the distance under the sunlight, more mysterious and upright.
Facing this beauty, I hoped my family’s health, safe, and the future of my kid would become like this speedboat, as free to go to his excellent world.

Yonghua Lu
PTM
Monomer dept.

Our New Year’s family reunion dinner

The “reunion dinner” (also known as “Nian Ye Fan” (年夜饭)) is considered the most important part of the Spring Festival and the most important meal of the year. It doesn’t matter Whether the ingredients are precious, or the cooking skills are superb. The most important thing is that the family can sit around a round table and enjoy the food andspending time together. The dinner takes a long time, commonly starting before sunset and lasting all the wayday through midnight. All dishes are created for the purpose of blessing the coming year. It presents the family with love and best hope.

The Spring Festival (Chinese New Year’s Day) means the old year is out and the new year is in. After the Spring Festival, with the coming of spring, everything (including ourselves) will be recoveredis recovery. So we wishWishing you all the blessings of a beautiful New Year season.

Tianhao Chen
PTM/PNL
E&M Dept.

My New Year’s Day Scene

As the year draws to a close, Singapore comes alive with a plethora of celebratory events and fireworks that illuminate the skyline to celebrate the New Year. This is a picture when I went to Marina Bay on New Year’s Day in 2023 here. We went to celebrate the countdown to the new year. It is a place with a very good view of the tall and elegant buildings near as we watched the water light show. Bright lights, buzzing atmosphere and an unforgettable display of fireworks await us to the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown.

Ivy Wong
PAPS
S&M

New Year’s visit at Ise Grand Shrine

This is a picture when I visited Ise Grand Shrine on New Year’s Day in 2022.（Ise Grand Shrine is a Shinto shrine which worship the ancestral gods believed to have created the country. It is the central shrine among the 80,000 shrines throughout Japan.）

I had initially hoped to spend the New Year’s Eve at the shrine, but due to the frozen weather, I gave up my plan and visited next day. (It was still very cold.)
After crossing the large bridge at the entrance, I was deeply moved by sacred atmosphere.

Miho CHIDA
PPC
General Administration